Ricky Rubio was reimbursed this season due to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) last week. Subsequently, the Cleveland Cavaliers actively sought alternatives in the market, and on Friday (December 30, US time) The Los Angeles Lakers reached an agreement to trade Rajon Rondo to fill the vacancy at point guard.
Further reading:“Ricky Rubio and Evan Mobley” The present and future of the Cavaliers
As Rajon Rondo was bound by the health and safety agreement on December 26 and was unable to play for the Cavaliers immediately, the only remaining point guards for the Cavaliers are Darius Garland (also subject to the agreement) and rookie Kevin Pangos (although He is a veteran of the European League, but he only played 82 minutes before playing once morest the Wizards on Thursday this season. Once Rondo’s agreement is over, the Cavaliers hope that Rondo can provide the young Cavaliers with the experience of a veteran on the field.
During the second time Rondo played for the Lakers, he not only played the role of backup ball in the playoffs, but also helped the Lakers win in the bubble season.
Will Rajon Rondo, who will turn 36 in February, still contribute to the Cavaliers? And how did the Lakers use this deal to create a player grid? Let’s take a closer look at this deal!
Transaction content:
The Cavaliers get: Rajon Rondo
The Lakers get: Louis Labeyrie (54th overall pick in 2014) as a signing pick
Nick gets: Denzel Valentine + Wang Zhelin (57th overall pick in 2016) and Brad Newley (54th overall pick in 2007) signing draft + cash
Cleveland Cavaliers rating:C
Obviously the Lakers traded Rajon Rondo so quickly and became the second team to do so in years. (The Atlanta Hawks signed Rondo in the 2020 free agency market and traded before the trade deadline last season. During this period, Rondo did contribute to the Clippers during the last two months of the 2020-2021 regular season. At that time, his two-pointers and three-pointers were 58% and 43%, respectively. With his eye-catching performance, he consolidated his position in the Clippers as the first reserve ball possession.
It’s a pity that this performance did not last until the playoffs. Rondo played only 17 minutes in the last two games of the Dallas Mavericks series in the first round of the playoffs, and played 15 minutes in the first game once morest the Jazz. After that, until the end of the series, Rondo was only able to see Rondo sitting on the bench cheering for his teammates.
After the Atlanta Hawks traded Rajon Rondo to get a second-round draft pick, the Clippers sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the package traded for Eric Bledsoe this summer. After the Grizzlies bought him, Rondo Then he returned to his old club, the Lakers.
This time, Rajon Rondo encountered a bottleneck in his shooting. His two-pointer shooting rate was only 37%, and his three-pointer shooting rate was 27%. He was from November 21 to December 15 (US time). During the game, only two games were given a small amount of playing time, until the Lakers lost a few combat power due to injury problems before they got another chance to play.
Rondo’s outstanding performance in the Clippers regular season is the only time since the 2017-2018 season with the New Orleans Pelicans, when he was 32 years old during the season. Now at this stage of his career, the Cavaliers have difficulty asking him to put pressure on the enemy’s defense like Ricky Rubio and Darius Garland paired. Rondo’s defense in the second half of his career has been up and down, which means that Rondo can’t replace Ricky Rubio. Provide help for the Cavaliers.
Further reading:“Rising Stars” is moving towards the top point guard-Darius Garland
Los Angeles Lakers rating:B
This transaction is for the Lakers to clear another player’s grid without eating up Rondo’s full contract. It is an important consideration for a team that must pay a luxury tax, and they have found a candidate to fill the vacancy of Rondo. Yes, they have a bunch of veterans signed with difficult terms that are regarding to expire. When Lebron James was the team’s starting center on December 28, when Lebron James was the team’s starting center, Stanley Johnson was able to fill the vacancy on the wing, who had both height and athleticism. Ability to provide wing rotation that the Lakers lack at this stage.
Further reading:NBA job opportunities under the epidemic, let’s understand substitute players, two-way players and 10-day short appointments together
On the other hand, due to the vacancy of the substitute guard following the Rajon Rondo trade, another veteran Darren Collison can replace him. As of now (December 29, US time), he has averaged 12.3 minutes per game as a substitute.
Originally abandoning Rajon Rondo and retaining Stanley Johnson and Darren Collison required an additional $3 million in taxes. After this transaction, the Lakers can achieve the same result without the burden of additional taxes.
